East Durham fire displaces occupants

Unattended cooking caused a fire in East Durham that damaged a house and displaced two occupants Thursday morning, fire officials said. No one was hurt.
Firefighters were called at 8:26 a.m. to a one-story house at 2622 Ashe St. and extinguished a small kitchen fire, Deputy Chief Chris Iannuzzi of the Durham Fire Department said.
There was fire damage to the kitchen and heat damage to two adjacent rooms.
Red Cross officials were called to provide emergency housing for two adults who were home at the time.
Sixteen firefighters responded and were on the scene 75 minutes.
Iannuzzi said unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires in Durham, and fires cause by that are almost always preventable.
Officials offer these tips:
- Never leave food unattended when you’re cooking on the stove, because a serious fire can start in seconds.
- Keep towels, pot holders and curtains from flames, ovens and stove tops.
- Wear short or tight-fitting sleeves when cooking, because the sleeves could catch fire.
- If you’re cooking and a fire starts, turn off the stove or burner and put a lid on the pan to smother the fire. Never throw or spray water on a grease fire.